PHY 2060 Enriched Physics With Calculus 1 - Spring 2006

Class Meetings	Tuesday and Thursday, periods 4 and 5, in 1002 NPB
Instructor	Prof. Kevin Ingersent, 2162 NPB (392-8748, ingersent@phys.ufl.edu)
Office Hours	Mon. & Fri. 11:00 a.m.-noon, Mon. & Thu. 3:00-4:00 p.m., or by appointment
Web Page	www.phys.ufl.edu/~kevin/teaching/2060/
Required Text	Physics, Volume 1, R. Resnick, D. Halliday, and K. S. Krane (5th ed., Wiley, 2001)

Summary: This is the first course in the Enriched Physics With Calculus (Honors Physics) sequence PHY 2060-2061 for students with prior preparation in physics who wish to acquire a deeper understanding of the subject. The enriched sequence covers similar material to the Physics With Calculus sequence PHY 2048-2049, but treats basic topics at a faster pace, incorporates more advanced material, and places greater emphasis on instilling conceptual understanding and on developing the ability to solve more challenging problems. PHY 2060 introduces concepts in classical mechanics, including kinematics, dynamics, conservation laws, oscillations, and special relativity.

Aim: On completion of this course, you should have a sound understanding of key concepts in classical mechanics, and be able to apply this understanding to analyze and compute the physics of unfamiliar situations. The course should also improve your problem-solving skills.

Prerequisites: PHY 2060 is not designed to be a first course in physics.

	You should have studied physics at high-school level. Completion of an AP course is helpful but not essential. However, if you have had no physics in high school, you will be at a significant disadvantage.
	You need to be proficient at algebra, at geometry and trigonometry (see page A-20 of the text), and at performing elementary vector operations (see Sec. 2-2 of the text).
	You should have successfully completed MAC 2311 Calculus 1 or equivalent, and have taken or be currently be enrolled in MAC 2312 Calculus 2. The course will make extensive use of differentiation, and at several points during the semester you will be expected to complete problems involving integration. The section "Derivatives and Integrals" on page A-21 of the text contains a useful summary of the calculus results that you will need.

If you are in doubt as to whether you should take PHY 2060 or one of the alternatives (such as PHY 2048), please consult the instructor as soon as possible.

Text: You will need access to the course text to supplement the lectures, to complete reading assignments and as a source of practice problems. It is essential that you use the Fifth Edition of Physics, because earlier editions are substantially different.

Class Meetings: Classes will begin at 10:40 a.m. and will likely end around 12:15 p.m. Normally, each class will combine both a lecture presentation and a discussion session (i.e., problem-solving with active student participation). Several different formats will be tried (e.g., a lecture followed by discussion versus two shorter lectures with a discussion session in between) and members of the class will be polled as to the preferred format.

Homework: Most weeks you will have a homework assignment, which will be distributed, submitted, and graded online via the CAPA Web system. Assignments will normally become available by noon on Tuesday and be due by 7:00 p.m. the following Monday.

Although the homework is graded, it is intended as much as a learning tool as a means of assessment:

	You can access CAPA as many times as you like during the time each assignment is open.
	During any CAPA session, you can attempt as many of the questions as you like.
	On each attempt, CAPA tells you whether your answers are correct.
	You are allowed up to a total of 10 attempts at each question.
	You are permitted to collaborate with others students on the homework.
	You may seek guidance on homework problems from the instructor.

Information about the procedures for logging on to the CAPA system and completing assignments can be found by following the Homework link from the course Web page.

Exams: There will be four exams (see "Schedule" below): three mid-terms held during regularly scheduled classes and a comprehensive final. The exams will emphasize application of physical concepts to solve problems rather than recalling memorized facts or reproducing standard results. The understanding and skills necessary for success on the exams will be developed by steady work over the entire semester, not by last-minute cramming. You will be allowed to use formula sheets and a calculator, but no other aids.

Exam solutions will be distributed in class. Scores will be made available through the WebCT Vista course management system, which can be reached via the Exams & Scores link from the course Web page.

Grades: The maximum possible total score on the homework assignments will be scaled to 100. Each of the four exams will also carry a maximum possible score of 100. However, your lowest exam score will be dropped. If you are satisfied with your overall course score after three mid-terms, you need not sit the final.

Letter grades will be assigned on the basis of the overall course score out of 400. It is likely that a score above 320 will earn an A, 300 a B+, 280 a B, 260 a C+ and 240 a C. These numbers are offered only as guides; more detailed information will be provided after each mid-term, and a firm grade scale will be announced before the final exam.

Attendance Policy: Attendance at lectures is strongly recommended but not required. Even if you miss a lecture, you are responsible for staying informed of any announcements made in class. (Many announcements will also be posted on the Web, and may be accessed by following the Announcements link from the course Web page.)

Any unexcused absence from an exam will result in a score of zero for that exam. An absence will be excused only if it meets the criteria laid out in the University's attendance policies and if the student provides written documentation from an appropriate professional. Whenever possible, the instructor should be informed of any absence before the day of the exam.

Your first absence, whether excused or unexcused, will be counted as your dropped exam. It is still important to inform the instructor as soon as possible of any circumstances that may excuse the absence, so as to to preserve the possibility of your taking a make-up should you end up missing a second exam.

If you have two excused absences from mid-terms, a make-up may be arranged; at the instructor's discretion, this make-up may cover material tested on either one or both of the exams that were missed. Students with excused absences from (a) the final as well as one mid-term, or (b) all three mid-terms, will likely receive an incomplete in the course.

How to Succeed in PHY 2060: You should attend class to learn about the basic concepts and how to apply them in solving problems. The material presented may seem familiar at the start of the semester, but the pace is quite fast and very few students will have a thorough understanding of all the topics covered. Arrive on time for class, since announcements will generally be made at the start of each lecture.

It will likely benefit you to read the textbook in advance to acquaint yourself with the material to be covered in class. This is particularly true if your prior preparation is a little weak, because the lectures will cover the introductory material (e.g., motion in one dimension) quite quickly.

You should work all the homework assignments, which form an essential part of the course. With all the opportunities to achieve a high score (see "Homework" above), you should look to the homework to establish a strong foundation for your overall course score (see "Grades" above). In past semesters, students who achieved an "A" grade in the course typically scored at least 95% on the homework.

Problem-solving provides a good measure of your understanding of basic principles by testing your ability to combine different physical concepts as they apply to unfamiliar situations. If you find that you are struggling with the homework, or if you want to improve your performance on the exams, you should practice additional problems beyond the assigned homework. Your grade in this course will be based solely on your success at solving problems during homework assignments and exams, so there will be a direct payoff for your effort.

The best source of practice problems is the text, which has sets of Exercises and Problems at the end of each chapter. Exercises are similar in difficulty to most of the CAPA homework questions and to the more straight-forward exam questions. Problems are usually more challenging, and are closer in character to the harder exam problems. Brief answers are provided to odd-numbered Exercises and Problems, so you can check your solutions.

You will learn most if you try each problem on your own first. If you get stuck, talk the problem over with a friend, consult the instructor, or check the solution (if one is available). Whenever you need help to complete a problem it is essential, though, that you consolidate your new understanding by successfully doing another problem of the same type by yourself. Don't despair if you seem to make a lot of mistakes at the start. A successful physicist is basically somebody who has made all possible mistakes in the past and has learned how to avoid repeating most of them!

If you are encountering difficulties with PHY 2060, don't wait to seek help. The course content is largely cumulative, so if you fall behind it will be hard to catch up. You are encouraged to consult with the instructor in person or via e-mail. When using e-mail, please make any physics questions as specific as possible, and recognize that it may be some time before you get a reply (especially outside normal business hours). Discussion of complex matters is usually best conducted face to face, either immediately after class or during office hours. If your schedule prevents you from attending office hours, feel free to contact the instructor to set up an appointment at a more convenient time.

Outside Help Services: The Teaching Center in Broward Hall (tel. 392-2010) offers a range of free services, including individual tutoring in physics. The Physics Department (tel. 392-0521) maintains a list of for-fee tutors.

Accommodations: Students requesting classroom accommodations must first register with the Disabilities Resources Program, located in the Dean of Students Office, P202 Peabody Hall. The Disabilities Resources Program will provide documentation to the student, who must then deliver this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodations.

Academic Honesty: All University of Florida students are required to abide by the University's Academic Honesty Guidelines and by the Honor Code, which reads as follows:

Cheating, plagiarism, or other violations of the Academic Honesty Guidelines will not be tolerated and will be pursued through the University's adjudication procedures.

Schedule: The schedule below lists the topics planned for each lecture, cross-referenced to the text, and the date of each exam. This schedule is likely to evolve. It is your responsibility to be aware of any changes announced in class. (Many announcements will also be posted on the Web.)

Jan 10	Course introduction. Position, velocity and acceleration vectors (Sec. 2-3)
Jan 12	Motion in one dimension (Secs. 2-4 to 2-6)
Jan 17	Force and Newton's laws (Secs. 3-2 to 3-8)
Jan 19	Motion in two and three dimensions, projectile motion (Secs. 4-1 to 4-4)
Jan 24	Uniform circular motion, relative motion (Secs. 4-5, 4-6) Tension and normal forces (Sec 5-2)
Jan 26	Frictional forces, uniform circular motion (Secs. 5-3, 5-4)
Jan 31	Linear momentum and impulse (Secs. 6-2, 6-3)
Feb 2	Conservation of momentum (Secs. 6-4, 6-5)
Feb 7	Mid-Term Exam 1: 10:40 a.m.-12:35 p.m. in NPB 1002
Feb 9	Center of mass, and conservation of momentum in many-particle systems (Secs. 7-2 to 7-5)
Feb 14	Many-particle systems, variable-mass systems (Secs. 7-5, 7-6) Rotational variables (Secs. 8-1, 8-2)
Feb 16	Rotational kinematics (Secs. 8.3 to 8.6)
Feb 21	Torque and rotational inertia (Secs. 9.1 to 9.4)
Feb 23	Rotational dynamics (Secs. 9.5 to 9.8)
Feb 28	Conservation of angular momentum (Secs. 10.1 to 10.4)
Mar 2	Work, energy and power (Secs. 11-1 to 11-3) Work done by a variable force (Sec. 11-4)
Mar 7	Mid-Term Exam 2: 10:40 a.m.-12:35 p.m. in NPB 1002
Mar 9	The work-energy theorem (Secs. 11-3 to 11-8)
Mar 14, 16	No Class: Spring Break
Mar 21	Conservative forces, potential energy and conservation of mechanical energy (Secs. 12.1 to 12.4)
Mar 23	One-dimensional conservative systems (Sec 12-5) Conservation of energy (Secs. 13-1 to 13-3)
Mar 28	Conservation of energy in many-particle systems (Secs. 13-4, 13-5) Newton's law of gravitation (Secs. 14-2, 14-3)
Mar 30	Gravitation (Secs. 14-4 to 14-7)
Apr 4	Pressure and density, Archimedes' principle (Secs. 15-2 to 15-4) Fluid flow, Bernoulli's equation (Secs. 16-1 to 16-4)
Apr 6	Simple harmonic oscillators (Secs. 17-1 to 17-4)
Apr 11	Mid-Term Exam 3: 10:40 a.m.-12:35 p.m. in NPB 1002
Apr 13	Simple harmonic motion (Secs. 17-5, 17-7 and 17-9)
Apr 18	The postulates of special relativity (Secs. 20-1 to 20-3)
Apr 20	The Lorentz transformation (Secs. 20-4 to 20-6)
Apr 25	Relativistic momentum and energy (Secs. 20-7 to 20-9)
Apr 27	No Class: Reading Day
May 3	Final Exam: 3:00-5:00 p.m. in 1002 NPB